A Successful Wine Tasting Trip

 Whether you are going for a day or a week, here are a few wine tasting tips to make things go well. As you'll see, there's a bit of prep work.

image from winecountrytable.com

What, Where & How Much

Figure out your budget, what region(s), what wines, and what wineries are of interest. Some decide they want to go to Napa Valley because it's famous, then later realize it's too expensive, or they can't find any sweet wine there. Yes, there are lots of choices, including hundreds in Sonoma and Napa.

Two or three wineries a day is all you should schedule. Two is best unless you have a designated driver, or you can hire your own driver.

Check wine prices and tasting fees to see if they fit your budget. In the Sonoma/Napa area, fees can range from zero to well over $100. Sonoma County's average fee is probably $25, Napa is twice that. Most wineries will not charge a fee with a certain amount of wine purchased. You may want to ask about this if it's not stated on their website. Sometimes you can order a little plate of food ahead of time to have with your tasting.

Appointments

Set up appointments at the wineries you wish to visit. Almost every winery has an online reservation system at their website. You may still have to email or call for special circumstances like wheelchair access, minor children, pets, bringing in food, or sharing tastings. Not every winery will be okay with kids and dogs, most will be with shared tastings, a few are okay with you bringing your own picnic. If you're looking for a cave or wine production tour, it's less likely kids are pets will be allowed. Check first so you're not surprised and disappointed.

Appointments aren't required everywhere, but if a winery has the option to set one, it's best to make a reservation unless you're going in the slower season and on a slower day.

Leave enough space between appointments, so you don't have to rush or skip lunch. If you're running more than a few minutes late, call the winery. Don't assume you can just show up 30 minutes late and still have a space available. You should allow 1-1/2 hours for a tasting, unless the winery says otherwise.

Longer Trips

If you have a longer time in the wine country, say four days of tasting or more, then plan some downtime for recovery from all the wine. Palate fatigue is real. Maybe give yourself an afternoon off in the middle of your trip to do something else. It's not just the tasting as many people like to go out for dinner at the end of the day to one of our great restaurants and, of course, have a bottle of wine!

Common Mistakes

Not allowing enough time between appointments. Don't rush yourself. You're on vacation! And don't forget to eat.

Too much drive time between stops. The town of Napa is at least a 45-minute drive from Calistoga, still in Napa Valley. The county of Sonoma is bigger than Rhode Island. Keep a day's visits all in the same area.

Not dressing for the weather. Even in the summer, mornings and evenings can be cool. Dress in layers.

If it is hot, and you're set up to taste outside, ask to be moved indoors. Nothing worse than a slightly warm Cabernet while you're sweating in the heat.

Wearing perfumes or any scent. Smell is the most important factor in judging and enjoying wine. Perfume will interfere with your and others ability to enjoy the wine.

On the Day

There is no dress code because everything is quite casual, but dress in layers as the morning is often much cooler than mid-afternoon.

You'll need lunch! Figure out where you can eat before you go, as many wine areas are quite a ways from any restaurants. You can pack a lunch and plan a winery stop or somewhere else to eat along the way.

At the Winery

You should be provided with water. If you don't get it, then ask. You should also get a spit bucket which as actually just used by most to dump wine, but spit it you wish. I'm surprised at the number of times I'm not automatically supplied with a dump bucket and often have to ask. I don't spit, but I usually don't finish each sample.

The steps to wine tasting are to first look at the wine's color and viscosity, as this can tell you a lot about a wine. Next give it a swirl and smell then finally taste. More on how to taste wine.

Tipping is not required though like many other service business nowadays, it's gladly accepted. 

Getting Wine Home

Getting wine home can be done in several ways. Wineries can ship to most states. This works if you're buying enough wine to make the shipping charge worthwhile, as the per bottle cost is very high for just a couple bottles, but goes down significantly once you reach about six bottles or more. If you are just buying a bottle or two here and a bottle or two there, you can find private shipping companies or even UPS stores that will pack and ship all of your bottles for you. Another option is buying a 12 bottle wine check on bag that's sold at some wineries. These make sense if you think you'll use it again. They run about $100-up.

image from thewinecheck.com